Interview with Eight Ray Music, musical entertainment for events

Interview with Eight Ray Music, musical entertainment for events

Eight Ray Music is a contemporary music agency with an exemplary understanding of the live music industry providing a wide roster of musical styles to suit a range of events. Is it any wonder they’ve become the go-to agency for musical entertainment at glamorous events.

You’ll find Eight Ray Music entertaining at all the key-events including Monaco Grand Prix, Wimbledon, Cheltenham Festival and Henley Royal Regatta as well as performing at luxury weddings and gracing the stage of some of London’s most exclusive venues for a range of private and corporate events. With a roster of highly talented and professional artists it’s no surprise that their musicians are so in-demand. We spoke to Vicki Robey, Head of Sales and Marketing at Eight Ray Music, to find out more about the agency and how it’s gone from strength to strength in recent years.

Okiem

Empire Of Sound

Freeman

Duke

Tell us about Eight Ray Music and how the company was set up?

Eight Ray Music provides premium live music entertainment to corporate, private and residency events. From the Monaco Grand Prix to celebrity weddings, Eight Ray provide exceptional live music entertainment at the world’s finest events.

The company was set up when there was a noticeable gap in the market for premium entertainment. There was a sense that a lot of agencies lacked the ability to cultivate personal relationships with musicians, which often left performers disgruntled and not performing to the best of their ability. Eight Ray Music was created to bridge the gap by providing truly exceptional and varied entertainment with a highly personalised service for top event professionals. Musicians are part of the family here, when we keep our musicians happy, they will keep our clients happy.

What makes you different from other entertainment agencies?

Eight Ray Music is built on real people and we offer a highly personalised service. We build strong and lasting relationships with all our clients, and performers, to ensure we can deliver a seamless service and performance at every gig.

Additionally, we have a more refined roster which allows Eight Ray to build relationships and have close connections to all our artists. This formula culminates in exceptional entertainment.

What sort of musical acts could our clients expect to find on your books?

You will find a wonderful variety of acts on our roster! From a full blown eleven-piece orchestra to exceptionally talented solo artists to DJ Live bands.

We have bands like Radio, the most-trendy rock and pop party band whose lead singer Mike Newfield regularly performs alongside Emeli Sande. We also have Okiem, a classically trained composer and pianist, whose cinematic classical style is truly memorising and moving. In contrast, we represent Duke whose massive sound comes from just three voices and a guitar. You won’t believe it until you see it but the basslines they create purely from their vocal chords is insane!

Eight Rays acts have worked at some amazing events- which ones really stand out for you?

It’s hard to choose! It is great that we have provided entertainment in exceptional sport hospitality events, such as: Wimbledon, The Monaco Grand Prix, Cheltenham Festival and Henley Royal Regatta.

We also frequently provide live music entertainment for destination events, where our acts fly across the world to perform for celebrity private parties and weddings. Not to mention all the fabulous residency venues; Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square, The Ned and One Canada Square for example, where our acts perform week in week out. Yep, it’s a tough question, I couldn’t possible choose!

Any tips for what to think about when booking music entertainment at an event?

Talk to an expert! Organising an event with live music can be very complex, there are so many variables that you need to consider. An expert can guide you through the process, from shortlisting the right act for your guests and venue, ensuring a seamless operation at the event and delivering an impeccable show, an expert will take the pain out of the process for you.

Sometimes it is hard to get guests up on the dancefloor; how do your acts engage with a shy audience?

Eight Ray Music not only look for musicians who are incredibly talented but who also offer personality and charisma to get any dancefloor moving. Our musicians know how to work a crowd! Each audience is different and will have a different vibe but our acts will always provide plenty of interaction to encourage even the most reluctant of people to get up and dance! This ensures the kind of electrifying performances that people will talk about for years to come.

Any advice for aspiring musicians?

Perform at every opportunity and treat every performance like it is the biggest one of your career! Cultivate your ‘brand’ as a musician both online and offline and stay true to this, it will help you build your fan base and this will lead to bigger and better gigs.

If you could work with any artist who would it be?

For me, it would have to be Bob Marley. A true musical hero of mine from a very young age. Dancing in the kitchen to Buffalo Soldier is probably one of my oldest memories, and his album Legends is truly timeless. It still makes it into my monthly playlist now!

Lastly, what are you most looking forward to in 2018?

Currently, it’s developing some of our emerging artists that will strengthen our roster in the new year. We have some incredible raw talent which were nurturing, and will be piecing together more premium acts in due course.

Furthermore, we are already programming Monaco Grand Prix, Henley Regatta and other events for next summer so it’s set to be a very exciting year for Eight Ray Music!

JG Collective

Coleman Collective

Gatsby Soul

The Revue Band

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